Thieves warned

During my four years at NIU, I have attended the student recreation center regularly. This past Wednesday, April 1st, I was treated to a special April fool’s joke when someone saw fit to relieve me of all my possessions.

I don’t have much money. It’s not enough that during my stay in DeKalb, my car has been burglarized twice, or that last semester at the Jungle two white bozos stole a winter coat that cost a lot. My fundamentally optimistic outlook was again tried Wednesday when I returned from exercising to find my padlock missing (cut) and my locker cleaned out quite efficiently. I was not the only person this happened to that afternoon. At least one other person came back to his locker for a surprise. Hasn’t the school taken enough of our money? Must we rob other students to equalize this?

The commercial value of the contents of my beat-up black duffel bag couldn’t have amounted to much. A few one-dollar bills which I earned waiting tables at Pizza Hut was all the thief could have used. But thanks to him, I must spend a large (for me) amount of money and time to replace my driver’s license, student ID, insurance card, etc. I write this as I wait at the Driver’s License Facility knowing too well the fun that awaits me trying to prove I am myself, when I have absolutely no identification.

I will miss the photos my girlfriend gave me which I carried in my wallet. The thought of someone else tossing these “useless” items in the garbage bothers me much. The only good pair of jeans I owned (an Xmas present from my mom) are also gone. And thanks to my thief, I was spared the trouble of studying for a big test I have today, since my books are now gone. I will return to the rec center lost and found hoping some of this was discarded.

This letter is a warning to anyone who goes to the rec center. Just because there are lockers, and just because you use a padlock by no means guarantees the safety of your possessions. Evidently some NIU students carry bolt cutters with them whereever they go.

I was also comforted by the apathy and acceptance which both the girl at the desk and the university policeman showed when hearing of the crime. Not only could they do nothing for me, they didn’t seem to care either.

Thank you to the Northern Illinois towing guy who froze his butt off getting me back inside my locked car after the police could not. I beg the OCR to get some kind of security system. As the UP told me, this has been happening a lot lately. Things should not be this way.

Christopher Ness

Senior

Art Education